Popular "brands" and liveries - including Swissair - could well survive, even if the firms themselves have been taken over. They would operate as regional airlines within the larger firms.

But other less-loved carriers, including Sabena, could simply vanish from European skies forever, said Oliver Sutton, editor of the industry magazine Interavia, Business and Technology.

"Firms like Swissair are a source of national pride. There is real anger in Switzerland towards the board, who were supposed to be the best managers in Switzerland," he said.

The job losses across Europe could be between 50,000 and 70,000, analysts told BBC News Online.

Other jobs in related industries, including manufacturers, will follow. Travel agents, for example, could lose out heavily as airlines try to cut the current average of 15% spent on selling their tickets.

Expect online sales to be heavily promoted in the new world, says Oliver Sutton, as airlines cut out the middlemen.

Other predictions for the future include:

Unprofitable or unpopular routes will face intense scrutiny, and some will disappear.

On other routes, fewer services will fly, probably in more reliable air traffic control slots.

More alliances like BA's Oneworld will be formed as airlines try to cut costs by pooling resources.